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Trump, the bull in the China shop, is looking at ways to put some clamps on china. I saw this today and now I know why when I buy some cheap something or other on ebay...like accessories for my knock off Go Pro camera or some resisters to repair another camera or other such cheap stuff can be shipped from china and still cost really cheap prices. Seems that a long standing treaty allows, in China's case formerly, third world countries a postage benefit that people in 1st world countries making things don't have. And this is part of a treaty that goes back a long way. It's more than ebay. I bought something through Amazon recently with no tracking number that I know must have been made in China and probably shipped from there because it's taking more than a week to arrive.

"The current system has led to the United States subsidizing the imports of small packages from other countries," said Jeff Adams, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service.

Under the treaty, which sets fees that national carriers in 192 countries charge for mail delivery, the U.S. Postal Service bills China-based companies at a sharply discounted rate for parcels that weigh less than 4.4 pounds.

Trump administration officials say the leg up, granted under a 1969 provision, was intended to promote growth in poor countries. But it remained in place after China became an e-commerce powerhouse.

The deal has allowed the country to flood the United States with cheap goods at shipping discounts of up to 70 percent, putting American companies at a disadvantage and straining the U.S. mail system while fueling growth abroad, Taub said.

That resulted in $170 million in losses for the post office last year

"They're using our Postal Service and contributing nothing to the overhead, and Americans have to pay for that," he said.

A one-pound package that costs the U.S. Postal Service about $10 to deliver can be mailed from China for just $2.50, according to White House figures.

Administration officials said they informed the UPU, which is based in Switzerland, that the United States intends to withdraw from the pact - a one-year process, per United Nations rules.

Over this period, the State Department will aim to negotiate better rates for Americans, the White House said, or choose to walk away from the international body in 2020.